GEOFF BENNETT: This summer's extreme heat# and the demand for air conditioning are## putting a big strain on the electricity# grid in many parts of the country.

But for more than 40 years, a pioneering# architect in New Mexico has been building## a unique kind of home that can be heated and# cooled without using any electricity at all.

Special correspondent Megan Thompson reports.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Five years ago, empty-nesters## Jess and Brian Johnson decided to leave Colorado# and move south to just outside Taos, New Mexico,## a place they'd loved visiting, and# where their dollar could go further.

JESS JOHNSON, New Mexico Resident: This is a# two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,000-square-foot home.

MEGAN THOMPSON: They have an# open living area, a fireplace,## and a sauna with views of the Southern# Rockies.

But the more unique features## are harder to see.

The home is off the grid,# meaning it's not connected to power, water,## or sewer lines.

Their water comes from# snow and rain, electricity from the sun.

BRIAN JOHNSON, New Mexico Resident: We're# not crazy conservationists.

We take showers## every day and run the dishwasher and# the washing machine and everything.## The only way we're radical, really,# is that we don't pay utility bills.

MEGAN THOMPSON: The Johnsons' home is called an## Earthship.

There are around# 200 in Northern New Mexico.

MICHAEL REYNOLDS, Earthship Architect: These# are the same drawings I made for the front face.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Michael Reynolds came# up with the idea as a young architect.

MICHAEL REYNOLDS, Ever since college,## I have looked at the world around# me and been disturbed by it.

MEGAN THOMPSON: In the early '70s,# Reynolds was especially disturbed## by the growing garbage problem in the# U.S., before recycling was widespread.

MICHAEL REYNOLDS: So I started# addressing it just for myself.## Then people started relating to it# and wanting me to do it for them.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Reynolds began experimenting# with building off-grid homes partly from## aluminum cans.

He came up with a# model that began to get attention.

MICHAEL REYNOLDS: I have six things that I have# determined are necessary for human sustenance.

It## is comfortable shelter without use of fossil# fuel, electricity, water, food, treatment of## human waste, and treatment of garbage.

Anywhere# anybody lives, those six things must be addressed.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Reynolds started a company to# build and sell his homes and to teach people## how to build their own.

Today, more than 200# students and interns come here each year to learn## Earthship building techniques, which have been# incorporated in some 3,000 homes around the world.

DEBORAH BINDER, Earthship Project Manager: When# I came across this, it just made sense to me.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Deborah Binder manages# construction for Mike Reynolds.

She's## also in the middle of building her own Earthship.

DEBORAH BINDER: So this is going to# be filled with pants once it's done.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Recycled materials# are still a key building component.

DEBORAH BINDER: At least, here in Taos,# glass bottles aren't recycled anymore.

And## you use less cement by using them, and you# end up with these really beautiful walls.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Earthships' side and back# walls are made from about 1,000 old tires;## 300 to 400 pounds of dirt are rammed by# hand into each one.

The tire walls are## built into a mound of earth to create an# extremely dense and insulating structure.

DEBORAH BINDER: It's almost like if you're# inside a cave.

So caves usually stay at about 63,## 65 degrees all year round.

And so then it's a# lot easier to cool or to warm up that space.

MEGAN THOMPSON: In the winter, Brian# and Jess Johnson's home is warmed## up by sunlight streaming in through the# southern wall of windows.

In the summer,## a system of tubes and vents brings# cooler air in from the back of the house.

BRIAN JOHNSON: You open that vent,## the hot air rises and pulls cool air th.. JESS JOHNSON: Well maintain# 70 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit## whether it's 110 degrees outside# or negative-10 degrees outside.

MEGAN THOMPSON: The Johnsons'# electricity comes from 14 solar## panels.

Brian says they have learned# how to avoid draining the batteries.

BRIAN JOHNSON: We don't run our dishwasher# and our washer and dryer at night.

So, there## are little trade-offs like that, but it's never# going without.

It's just going at the right time.

JESS JOHNSON: Right.

MEGAN TH.. where the Johnsons grow bananas, grapes and figs.

Back outside, the slanted metal roof# also doubles as a water catchment system.

BRIAN JOHNSON: All the rain or# snow that falls on our roof gets## collected in cisterns behind our home.# We have about 8,000 gallons of storage.

MEGAN THOMPSON: The water is filtered# and first flows to the sinks, showers,## and laundry.

Then it drains to the greenhouse# to water the plants.

From there, it flows to## the toilets.

Then, finally, it's flushed outside# to a septic system that waters another garden.

JESS JOHNSON: So one, two, three, four# uses for every drop of water in this house.

MEGAN THOMPSON: The Earthships'# ingenuity, unusual designs,## and downright quirkiness have# made them a tourist attraction.

MAN: This is just one of five# properties that Mike's developed.

MEGAN THOMPSON: You can rent one on Airbnb,# or buy a new 1,600-square-foot two-bedroom## for half-a-million dollars.

This# larger model is $1.7 million.

But building Earthships on a wide scale outside# of a community like this is challenging.

For one,## they're so unconventional that obtaining# building permits and financing can be difficult.

KIM SHANAHAN, Green Homebuilding Expert: Unless# you have got the time and the inclination on your## own to do it or can afford a tremendous amount# of labor costs, it just doesn't make any sense.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Sustainable homebuilder# Kim Shanahan is the former head of the## Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association# and was active with the nonprofit Green## Builder Coalition.

He says those# tire walls are the biggest problem.

KIM SHANAHAN: Each little step# of the wall is a lot of labor,## and it's simply not something that# a production builder or even a small## builder could ever imagine doing.

And that's# why it never really could be done at scale.

MEGAN THOMPSON: But Shanahan# says Mike Reynolds' other## ideas helped inspire an entire# generation of green homebuilders.

KIM SHANAHAN: Self-sustaining power and# warmth and electricity through solar panels,## roof water capture and reuse, this is the# future, not necessarily tires in walls, but all## the other principles that that Mike Reynolds has# taught us about what a house can and should be.

BRIAN JOHNSON: I think we need to# start rethinking our buildings.

MEGAN THOMPSON: Brian and Jess# Johnson figure they're saving## around $500 a month on utilities compared to what## they were paying back in Colorado.

But# they say it's not all about the money.

BRIAN JOHNSON: Once you start looking at# these homes differently than traditional## construction in the country and in the# world, these just make so much more sense.

JESS JOHNSON: It feels good to be part of# that.

You know you're just a little bite,## but you're part of some --# something special, I think.

MEGAN THOMPSON: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm# Megan Thompson outside Taos, New Mexico.